Fan Fiction ❯ Gelden ❯ Results ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Results

A wind picked up the young woman's cloak as she hurried through the back alleys of Cerik. The horrible storm, thieves, strangers barging into the Culver Serpent dry as a bone in the desert, and that bloody fire a few hours ago at the Guild… Yes… It was all to be expected. Cerik was the boiling point that everything revolved around at the moment. She sighed and shook her head. Sometimes she wondered about how the people around her could handle not knowing what was to come. They were all fools ignorant to the future, but yet, being gifted as she was, she supposed she had to make allowances for them.

Briefly the girl stopped where the alley opened and reached into her deep maroon cloak. She withdrew two thin and small sheets of paper and a crystal. The crystal glowed slightly enough so she could see the two cards. One read Ventus and the other had a picture of a man holding a chalice. She looked at it and shook her head.

"Where is that fool…" She said bitterly, getting annoyed by the whole state of affairs. She had known about all of this for sometime now. Everything had been set in place at the instant this world had been created. That's why seeing the future was possible for those gifted with Merrik. She imagined the boy in her head again. Tall, green hair tinged with violet and an orange headband. His large ears slightly pointed and his eyes, never forget the eyes… he would probably be wearing a cloak to hide those. Like he had been last night at the Culver Serpent. Poor thing, to be ashamed of his handsome looks. Well at least he was when he was around humans. She knew he wasn't human, as he often pretended. Of course an Augermen didn't look much different from a human any way, but pointed ears and green violet hair was not quite any human trait. Neither were those eyes, but not even Auger had seen those before. She wondered if Falon had ever guessed that Adem was not quite what he said he was.

"Ademsen Nor…" She clicked the name on her tongue, trying it out loud for the first time. Ademsen Nor, Cedar Nightfall, Falon Zephyra and all the others that had been in that bar last night. She knew all about them even if she had never truly met them. She had a strong feeling she had met Cedar long ago, but it didn't matter. She didn't care much for chance meetings that happened in the past. The only thing that mattered now was finding out where Ademsen Nor had run to after that fire. She would worry about finding the others later. She fingered her cards nervously and turned into the next alley.

As expected, there lay the little idiot facedown in the mud. The girl sighed and walked over to him. He was unconscious, as expected, probably wore himself out. But to her surprise, which was a rare thing, she noticed that his cloak had been thrown off. Odd since this particular fellow was rather self-conscious about his appearance. Must have flung it off trying to get away.

The girl shrugged at the minor details. She couldn't wait till he was conscious, though. Finally she could see those eyes the cards had warned her of. It had been a long time since she had the pleasure to meet anyone with those eyes. Last time, the man had been a king, handsome and powerful, and he had truly been worthy of the mark.

Smiling, she flopped down next to Ademsen Nor and waited for him to wake up. It would only be a few minutes. She didn't guess, she knew. Waiting patiently, she started flipping over cards. She had to check on her other soon to be `clients'. A shame that her powers had been limited recently. She couldn't see as far into the future as she used to. Like when she had found out about this whole mess of things that would happen in Cerik. That had been a long time ago, she thought bitterly, but… Shayne, curse you…

Drifting out of her bitter thoughts of only being able to see a very indistinct direct future, she went back to her cards. The cards flashed on the ground and she arranged them into a pattern. The card reading Ventus overlapped by an 11 of Gem and the 9 of Chalice told her that Falon had been thrown in jail. Expected… she thought, and added another card to pile, forming a cross. A lucky companion will join Falon. Interested, she studied that card. Of course! It must be that Cunningham fellow. She briefly remembered him from last night and noticed an odd resemblance between him and the figure on the card `Daredevil'.

She was about to check on Cedar when Adem began to move. Patiently, the girl waited, staring at him groaning. The sun was just rising above the buildings. Dawn had taken such a long time to come today.

"How do you feel?" The girl said. Adem sat up and looked at her. Finally! She smiled as she saw his eyes. Two beautiful deep blue violet pools sliced into fourths by the magnificently shaped Cross Star pupils. Absentmindedly she rubbed her cheek, where the same mark was tattooed in black. For a second Adem just stared, apparently confused and dazed. Then, as his head cleared of the daze, his cheeks went a crimson red as he realized his face wasn't covered.

"Daeya asaa Y'sa neleyy qyy suteyn?!" He cried, hoping up and looking around frantically. "Ena liyy rewui j'basu!"

He stopped for a moment as the girl stared at him. She had a slight smirk. He stared back at her though averting his eyes from her face. "Daeya qyy suteyn!"

The girl threw her head back and laughed. He normally was so solemn. Adem stopped, obviously wondering what she found humorous.

"I did not take you cloak… you must have lost it yourself." She said amused. Adem's eyes widened.

"Asaa… you understand?" He said, amazed. He seemed to have forgotten his embarrassment. "Who are you? A Kuim understanding Eyyuve?"

"Qyy oyypi fhu Raven Ta'Shiek. Danui!" The girl introduced herself. Adem was amazed. A human knowing his language was unheard of. Hardly any of them knew even knew his race existed. Augermen rarely came out of their forest. "And don't looked so surprised! I know more than you think, Admesien Nayy, or do you prefer Ademsen Nor?"

Adem merely stared at the girl, Raven Ta'Shiek she had called herself. She had known his true Augermen, Eyyuve, name.

"I am sorry, if I have scared you." Raven said. "But I really know all about you. You and Falon and many others… I can't really explain it.. I"-

"Falon!" Adem cried, suddenly remembering everything that had happened. "Where is she? Do you know? Did you take her? Where is she?!"

Raven held up her hands. "I know where she is, but don't worry. She is safe."

Adem's strange eyes narrowed. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl. She certainly knew more than he would have liked anyone to know. It made him uneasy. But there was something about her. He felt as if he could trust her but he was unsure.

"Tell me where she is." Adem said. His voice was strong, but not threatening. She looked aside her cheerful attitude changing in an instant.

"I can't tell you…" she said quietly. "Not yet anyways…"

Adem just stared at her again. He studied her and looked at her face. She had strange tattoos on her face, one that shocked him on her cheek. It was the same symbol that his pupils took the shape of. Her eyes were the things that captured his attention most. He had avoided looking into them at first but now… Her silvery metallic eyes held no emotion. They were empty of life, it seemed. He hated looking into anyone's eyes; that was one of the reasons he wore a hood. He wanted no one to see his eyes, yet he didn't want to see anyone else's eyes at the same time. There was chaos in eyes. Chaos none but he could see… but this Raven's eyes were void…

Raven suddenly threw back her head and laughed. He took a step away from her, as if she were mad. "You certainly are like him… he was a king, but he was still afraid to look into people's eyes…"

That snapped Adem out of his thoughts. She kept catching him off his guard.

"You can read minds…" He said accusingly. She smirked and brought up her hand. She was holding a card. She spun it in her hands and slapped it into her palm facedown.

"No…" She said, amused and flipped the card over so he could see it. A woman wearing eight pendants was shown on the front. "This is a Merrik card. This card, the Eighth Talis, tells me you fear."

Immediately Adem felt disappointment and anger. This Raven was a con artist. A really lucky one at that. She must have seen him laying in the street and decided to take advantage of it. She maybe had been watching him for days to get a good `reading' by scouting out those he knew… If she thought she could impress him with a few `true' readings, then…

Adem pulled out a few gold coins and threw them at her feet, glowering. Any respect he may have had for her disappeared in a flash. She looked at the coins, her face confused.

"Take the money and leave me alone. I don't need a fortune tellers lies. Everyone knows that Merrik Readers are only con artists. I suggest you find a new hobby, dasyi semara." He spat and started out of the alley. He didn't care if he had a cloak or not. He'd just have to avoid people for now. He was too angry to care at the moment anyways. He wouldn't stand for another Merrik reader playing off his emotions to lure him into a twisted trap, again. Last time…

He hated liars and cheaters. They sickened him. He stormed out of the alley, Raven staring after him. She allowed herself a small smile even though she was rather disappointed. It wasn't time for her yet, she had only wanted to glimpse Adem to be sure. Now she was and that's the only indication she needed. He wouldn't trust her, yet… but soon he wouldn't have any choice. If he didn't he might as well be dead…

She turned and swept out of the alley, opposite Adem, as simply as she had swept in, still smiling. Perhaps the Gods were truly ready once again…

Adem glowered as he walked trough the city. He kept his eyes downcast. He didn't need any insanity of that right now. He began to think of where his companion's might be waiting. Falon, hopefully nothing had happened to her after she was pulled from the basement. He wasn't worried about Cedar; she seemed to be able to take care of herself. Then he remembered something. Cedar had told him that if they were to be separated for any reason, they should meet back at the Culver Serpent. Sighing, he headed towards the docks through the muddy street, trying to put Merrik Readers out of his mind.

Grimacing, Lodon Camlin watched as the Magus retrieved their research from the ruins of the Guild from the roof of the Knight barracks. Fools… The Magus only care for their bloody research, Lodon thought not for the first time and not for the last. He rubbed his shoulder where the thick armor usually rubbed against. It was good to be out of it for awhile. His shirt hung open and he had taken off his boots. Refreshing to his skin to feel an open breeze on his skin instead of slick metal. For the majority of his life, all he had felt was slick, cold metal. That and the grimace on his face.

Aurora had retreated to her room to sleep. Their shift had ended and it was time to rest. They would definitely need it. It wouldn't be the first time Lodon had been caught up in a major incident. This wasn't as bad as some of the things he'd seen but thieves setting important city building's on fire would be enough to shake up any town. The citizen's would be restless for awhile and that usually meant more work for Knights.

Unfortunately, Lodon was also restless. Perhaps it was the fact that thieves had tried to pilfer a major city building, or maybe it was that girl they had captured, but something was tickling the back of his mind. He was also worried about Hardis agents being in town. He had noticed the girl in the pub last night but really didn't take a notice. After seeing those two soldiers in the Serpent though, he had been wary. Hardis usually brought bad luck to any nation they set foot into; Lodon had seen firsthand what kind of destruction they could cause.

Lodon grimaced deeper in remembrance. He had been working as a palace guard in Zephyr back then. Two years ago, Hardis sent a small group of their troops to talk trade matters between Zephyr and Y'xar, formally Valgor. Within days of the embassy's arrival, a `national disaster' hit Zephyr, the entire Kingdom reduced practically to rubble overnight. The entire royal family was dead, with the exception of one princess who went missing a few weeks later. Most of the citizens were killed or injured. Lodon remembered climbing from a stone heap that had been the castle courtyard and seeing the devastation. His arm had been broken and he was bleeding from over a dozen places, but he had helped others out and refused treatment of any kind till all the woman and children had. No one could blame Hardis for the `incident'. How could a few soldiers and negotiators cause an entire kingdom's destruction? But Lodon still believed…

With a grunt, he turned from the edge and walked back towards the sunroof he had crawled out of. He climbed back into his room and sat down at his bed. So many things troubled him. Especially the girl they had found. Something about her was familiar and Lodon was almost afraid to confirm what he believed.

Hand shaking slightly, he reached into his shirt and withdrew a booklet. He flipped it open and looked at the portraits inside, then looked up at a mirror hanging over his water jug. His face was so different now. If either of the children in the pictures saw him now, would they recognize him? A small baby boy was on one side of the booklet, and a young girl on the other. A long time had passed since he had seen the boy. His son…

"Lucas…" Lodon muttered as he looked at the baby boy. He had only known his son for a less than a year, before he was sent off to Zephyr, ordered never to return to his family. Ziech Warriors could only devote themselves to fighting the Demonic. They didn't have time to tarry in love affairs or bother with fatherhood. He would be 19 now… Lodon thought grimly. He brushed the picture with his hand and smiled a startling difference from his usually expression. Maybe he could see him again… somehow…

He looked at the portrait of the girl. She had been about eight at the time the portrait was painted. Her large violet eyes were happy. Her mouth in a bright smile and ringlets of brown hair falling onto her cheeks. The same face that had smiled at him every night before she went to sleep as he told her stories of adventure. He stared at that picture and thought of the girl they had taken into the prison. He remembered his surprise when he first saw her but he had squashed it under his hard looks. No one would have suspected he had known her anyways…

He stared at the young girl in the picture of the girl and thought again of the thieves last night. There had been three, she was one of them. Finally he nodded and put the book away. He lay back onto his bed and started to fall asleep.

"Falon… Let those other thieves burn to Nazet Gar for dragging you into their world…" he muttered and slid into the world of dreams.

As Lodon Camlin fell asleep, Aurora Targa was brushing her hair. She was trying to calm herself down but her heart burned and conscience screamed. She took a deep breath and counted her strokes.

"Does every knight feel this way…" She muttered roughly to herself. Her body was exhausted but her mind wanted to be back out there, defending lives and punishing those who deserved it. She wanted to find the other thieves, she wanted to make sure they were punished. She wanted to punish that other wench in prison to make sure she would never even try picking up anything she didn't own again. Her heart raged for justice to be paid. Some of the knights that had died last night had been her friends.

She brushed harder as her conscience screamed at her. It screamed at her to stop thinking so ruthlessly.

Sighing, she gave up with the brush. Had Lodon ever felt this way? He never looked like he could hold any passion besides dealing justice. His entire mind was probably ruthlessly thinking of ways to punish wrongdoers. Maybe all knights had an exaggerated sense of justice. Finally she decided to get some sleep. Lodon had said that they were in for a few rough days after this fire. Riots to calm and thieves to catch. Maybe she would get a chance to bully a few more Watchmen. She smiled at the thought as she drifted off to sleep.

The powers of the earth were divided among the six Gods. Each god belonged to a power of another god, which in turn were ruled by one all-powerful God that dispensed the powers of the earth out to the lower gods. Thus together there are 9 gods of power.

Vespes, The supreme God also controlled the power of spirit and a direct link to the `Otherworld' sometimes referred to as `Zerus'.

Dies controls the `Light' powers of the earth and the sun. Those under Dies are Ventus, Controller of Air, Silvus, Controller of Forest, and Firspus, Controller of Fire.

Nox is often called the Night god, for it controlled the `Dark' powers of earth and the moon. Those under Nox are Monlunca, Controller of Earth, Marlac, Controller of Water, and Electus, Controller of Lightning.

These gods were often called the `Saintly' powers. There is a story in old text that read `a renegade God known as Shayne opposed the other gods and became the Controller of the Demonic.' This story is inaccurate however to today's standard and the presence of the Demonic in our world is merely a result of Human Error.

Tiredly the scholar read on in his text various stories about how religious wars were fought between people following one god and other people following another god. Cerik's massive library was almost as large as the Guild of Magus itself and held just as much information. The text he had been reading was good proof of that being over five hundred years old itself. Or perhaps it was a copy of the true text. He didn't bother wondering whether `The Book of Truths' was authentic or not. As long as it had good information.

The sun was lowering as another day passed and the scholar was just thinking of packing up his texts, scrolls and notes to head back to his home. The library was rather empty compared to the usual since the fire had occurred but the scholar didn't pay much mind. He was a short, studious man who was oblivious to the outside world most of the time and half bald also. A pair of spectacles slid down his long nose as he read. As he reached for a parchment to mark his place in the text, his hand fumbled and knocked one of his quills off the table. With a grumble, he stooped down, feeling for it. He didn't notice the large wooden entrance door open up and a cloaked figure glide in.

The scholar found his quill and sat back up again to finish organizing his things. He stacked his papers and put all his scrolls into a small bag along with `The Book of Truths' he had been reading. He grabbed his quill and bottle of ink and stood up to leave.

Mumbling about something or other, the man turned to leave and nearly ran headfirst into the taller man standing just behind him.

"Oh my!" the scholar squeaked when he say the cloaked man. "I'm terribly sorry. Curse the gods for making me as short as I am, if you understand my mean"- The man was cut short as Traque Dytan grabbed his collar and drew him to eye level. The man dropped his bag and gave a choking noise and stared wildly at Traque.

"Where is `The Book of Truths'?" He ordered the small man. The scholar made another little noise and pointed to the bag he had dropped when Traque grabbed him. Traque half-glanced at the bag, his earring glinted off the receding sun coming in through the window. The bag ripped open, by itself it seemed, it's contents spilling out all over the floor. The book floated out of the mess and Traque dropped the man and plucked the book out of the air. The man fell to his knees, shaking and tried to gather up his things again. A glance from Traque was all it took to freeze the man in his place.

Traque began thumbing through the book. He stopped occasionally and read a passage or two. Finally, he threw the book to the ground with a disgusted look. It hardly came close to being the real book he needed. He unfroze the man, who started scrambling for his things again.

"Leave." Traque said coldly. The man squeaked again and reached for the last item, the book. Traque glared and the book burst into flames and the man recoiled. The book was a pile of ash on the carpet within seconds.

"There is nothing in there that would interest a simpering fool such as yourself…" Traque said, in his usual cold manner. With that, the scholar practically wet himself and scrambled hurriedly out of the library as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him. Traque gave a mild amused look. Although the man had been terrified, he hadn't forgotten his bag. The library was silent now as Traque stood there.

He looked up to where the rows of bookshelves stood. An odd gleam entered his demonically cold eyes and he strode toward them. He peered up at the ancient texts, some falling apart, some moldy, and some half rotted from decades of neglect. If you wanted magic artifacts, search in Cerik's Guild, his boss had once told him, but if you want a magic book search Cerik's library…

He walked slowly down the aisles, looking up the racks almost three times as tall as he, and he was tall himself. As if guided by some force, he reached just above his head and withdrew a slender hardcover. It wasn't at all dirty compared to any of the other texts, but it was quite unlike any of them either. The front had a strange star-like cross on it surrounded by a metallic weave so fine that no human could have possible made it. He stared at the book in a wonder for a moment. The metal seemed to change color if he held it differently, almost like the iridescent wings of a starling. Only it had a much greater variety of colors. It was like a shifting rainbow with silver and gold… and yet, as he examined the strange star design he noticed how it altered along with the book, as if it wasn't printed into the book but rather floating above it.

"This must be it…" Traque muttered. He was hardly amazed by anything but this book was definitely something different. He flipped open the cover, noting a small plaque on the inside. It was a very small disk, with the same metallic substance as the front and another odd image `floating' above it of the star again.

He continued to examine the impossible book, noticing just how light it was. And its pages were made of some thin material that was transparent. He tried to rip a page but the material didn't break at all. It didn't bend either. There were a many strange marks on the pages but nothing he could understand. Carefully, Traque placed the book into a small hidden pocket of his cloak. He was sure, nothing he did would damage the book, after all, and this particular book was rumored to be as old as time and that alone was next to impossible.

He put the book out of his mind and focused on the other item he needed before he left Cerik. The Obsidian Mage, he thought, is probably in the hands of that cursed fusion creature… He turned on his heel and strode towards the door. "I just have to let her hang onto it for now… She'll eventually end up back with that brat princess and then I'll kill to birds with one stone…"

He smiled evilly and walked out of the door into the final light of day and was gone. He never noticed the young woman quietly standing just behind the rack he'd had been at. In fact, even if he had been staring directly at her, he probably wouldn't have noticed her. She had watched his every move and in a blink of an eye as he left, she flickered and disappeared as silently as she had been watching.